Cass Carr’s Clutch Shooting Carries Two-Time Defending State Champion White Oak to Overtime Bi-District Win Over Troup

TYLER -- The two-time defending state champion White Oak Roughnecks were on the ropes in Tuesday night's playoff opener.

But Landry Sheridan and Cass Carr came to the rescue, leading White Oak to a 64-53 overtime win over Troup in their Class 2A Region II bi-district contest Tuesday night at Wagstaff Gym.

Sheridan's last-second offensive rebound and putback sent the game to overtime before Carr scored 15 of the Roughnecks' 17 points in the extra session.

The late-game heroics sent White Oak (15-6) to the area round of the playoffs where it will meet Crockett later this week. Troup, which led for most of the fourth quarter, finished with an overall record of 14-16.

Carr, who led White Oak with 24 points on the night, hit 3-pointers on consecutive possessions to give the Roughnecks a 53-49 lead with 2:04 remaining. He then went 9-of-10 from the free-throw line down the stretch to seal the victory.

"It was just nice to get the lead back for once," Carr said. "We had the lead for most of the game and lost it there in the fourth quarter. Landry Sheridan stepped up and hit a big shot to send it to OT. I just knew our team wouldn't quit until the very end. I was just proud to even have the chance to hit those 3's."

It was Carr who had a chance to win it in regulation for White Oak with a 3-point attempt, but his shot glanced off the rim and into the arms of Sheridan, who put it in with less than two seconds remaining to send the game into overtime deadlocked at 47-47.

"The play that we had designed broke down, but then we got a shot up," said White Oak coach Ron Boyett. "And that's the big thing in situations like that; just get the ball up and give yourselves a chance and hope for a rebound. We practice that for game situations; sometimes you have to scramble like that, and fortunately the ball bounced our way."

Hayden Nichols had a big game for White Oak as well, finishing with 17 points and 14 rebounds. Sheridan added seven points, while Slade Sutton chipped in with seven points (all in the fourth quarter and overtime) to go with four rebounds and four assists.

Marcus Kincade led Troup with 17 points, adding five rebounds, three assists, two steals and two blocks in the losing effort. Anfernee Ross had 10 points, four boards, two assists and two steals, while Lou Roberson finished with nine points, seven rebounds and a pair of steals.

Troup looked as if it would hand White Oak a stunning first-round loss. Kincade's running jumper gave the Tigers a 45-44 lead with 1:13 remaining, but Troup went just 2-of-5 from the free-throw line in the final 33 seconds to leave the door open for White Oak.

"It think it was two pretty evenly matched teams," Boyett said. "A couple of times, we went out a little bit and they fought back in it, and you have to give them credit for that. When you get down to the end everybody's a little bit tired, but we were fortunate enough that we made enough plays defensively. We rebounded the ball a lot better defensively in the second half, and I think maybe our depth wore them down a little bit."

White Oak used an 11-2 run at the outset of the third quarter to build a 34-25 lead -- its biggest of the night. Carr and Nichols each had two baskets and Sheridan drained a 3-pointer during the spurt than spanned almost three minutes.

Troup had a quick answer, scoring the game's next nine points and tying it at 34-34 on Brandon Hearon's 3-pointer with 1:13 to play in the third.

Ross' bucket gave the Tigers their first lead -- 39-37 -- at the 5:17 mark of the fourth, and the teams stayed within two points of one another until Carr's overtime performance sent the Roughnecks to another thrilling postseason win.

"I think it helps quite a bit," Boyett said of his team's past experience in the playoffs. "We have been here, we've got kids that've played on the biggest stage Texas high school basketball has to offer. I'd definitely say that's a factor."

White Oak 64, Troup 53 (OT)

Boys Class 2A Region III Bi-District Playoff

At Tyler Junior College's Wagstaff Gym

Troup                10   11   13   13    6   --   53
White Oak         15    8   11   13   17   --   64
TROUP (14-16) -- Marcus Kincade, 17; Anfernee Ross, 10; Lou Roberson, 9; Brandon Hearon, 6; Chance Selvidge, 4; Braxton Kincade, 3; Marquis Davis, 2; Callen Eastman, 2.
WHITE OAK (15-6) -- Cass Carr, 24; Hayden Nichols, 17; Landry Sheridan, 7; Slade Sutton, 7; Jake Pullen, 5; Gabe Michael, 2; Nike Simmons, 2.
THREE-POINT GOALS -- Troup: Hearon (2), B. Kincade, M. Kincade. White Oak: Carr (3), Nichols, Sheridan, Sutton.